Peach Blossom Spring is a family saga that follows 70 years of the Dao family. After a life as a refugee, first from the Japanese Army and then from the Civil War, Renshu Dao and his mother Meilin eventually end up in Taiwan. When Renshu attends graduate school in America, he reinvents himself as Henry and refuses to talk about his childhood or heritage to his American wife or daughter.

Loosely based on the life of Melissa Fu's father, Peach Blossom Spring does an excellent job guiding you through modern Chinese history. Although the story was interesting, the telling left something to be desired. The writing style was stiff and the characters are emotionally distant; you are told what happens to them but never able to experience what they are feeling.